


♤Shinō Academy♤

by Dream_En



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Grimmjow isn't a Hollow, Kuorsaki Ichigo is a Shiba, Kurosaki Ichigo-centric, OCs are just side characters, school fights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27651116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_En/pseuds/Dream_En
Summary: It's Shiba Ichigo's first day at the Academy! What could go wrong?
Relationships: Grimmjow Jaegerjaques/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

“Wait, Ichigo! Wait for me!” 

The orange hair teen turned towards the voice just in time to be knocked off his feet. He wheezes when the air is knocked out of him the moment he collides with the ground. Dammit, can’t a guy walk on his first day to the Academy in peace, without being assaulted by a giant idiot? His back hurts now. Ichigo glares up at the culprit. People are now staring at them, confused if they should intervene or not.

“Kaien, what-”

“You were supposed to wait for me!” The ravenette exclaimed dramatically.

Ichigo shot him an unimpressed look. He left early so he wouldn’t be embarrassed at the gates of Academy. Looks like another plan of his to get away from his stupid older brother is not going to work-- not like they ever do. 

“What if my precious baby bro was assaulted by some random drunkard!”

“You were the one that assaulted me with your tackling!” Ichigo shot back, trying to pry his brother off of him. “And it’s only noon. Who would be drinking right now?”

“When you work loyally under a Captain, for centuries, who is also friends with a lazy drunky, there are things you learn that you wish you hadn’t,” Kaien says in a distant tone. It’s as if he’s having a Vietnamese flashback or something because it had to take a kick from Ichigo to finally push the Shiba head off of him.

“Would you quit it already! I just wanna get to the academy without _someone_ embarrassing me!” The orange hair teen stood up to dust himself off. He scowls darkly at the passersby who immediately looked anywhere else but him. _People should really mind their own business._

“You know I embarrass you because I love you,” Kaien says proudly. “But, if you wanna look all badass for the _ladies or gentlemen,_ I don’t judge, then I’ll stop harassing you.” 

“Oh my kami, shut up!” Ichigo’s face was now red. If it was legal, he would’ve strangled his older brother right there and then. “We’re in public!”

“Hmm?” Kaien shrugged, “Bah, don’t be so dramatic, baby bro! Now let’s hurry to the Academy! I still can’t believe you’re going to school! It felt like yesterday I held your small infant body in my arms! And they said you would be able to graduate in two or three years! You know that Kukaku and I will be expecting you to perform above average and give it your all! But, if you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry. I was in your shoes many centuries ago! Just makes sure to never turn in work late two weeks afterward. Only a week late is fine! I heard one of the first-year teachers…”

The ravenette ranted mindlessly as he dragged the protesting orange hair teen towards the Shino Academy gates. _Kami, so many people were staring at them on the way._

________

After being showered with overwhelming hugs and good-bye kisses from Kaien, Ichigo blinked dumbly at how many students were in the auditorium. People of different classes and reiatsu levels were scattered amongst crowds. Suddenly, he felt small-- he was one of the very few who didn’t have a lot of friends outside of the family. Sadly this year, there were no Shibas in the first-year other than himself. So now the orange-haired teen is faced with one of the biggest challenges of his life-- socializing. 

Even thinking about going up to a random person and saying something like a simple greeting causes him to cringe. What if they give him a weird look? Or just full out ignore him? Should he act like his normal brash-Shiba-self or a proper noble? What if he embarrasses himself on the spot? What if-- oh Kami, his introvert ass is screwed. 

_“Do not worry, young prince,”_ A voice deep male said inside his head. _“Even if you don’t manage to find any friends, it won’t stop you from becoming a strong warrior. Remember the main reason behind joining the academy?”_

Ichigo paused to think before replying in a quiet tone, he doesn’t want people to think he is crazy for talking to nobody they can’t see. “To get stronger and to protect those I care for.”

“ _Exactly_ ,” an invisible weight pressed down onto his shoulders reassuringly. Ichigo almost relaxes at the sensation. At least he isn’t truly alone. He’s always got voice-in-head with him.

“ _Is that what you truly named me when I told you to give me a nickname?”_ The voice said with a hint of amusement. Ichigo scowled, “you know I’m not good with names. And you were the one who refused to give me yours, so don’t think it’s all on me.”

Voice-in-head sighed as if he was an adult dealing with a 75-year-old man-child-- that's because he is. “ _That’s because you’re not ready to hear my name yet_.”

“Huh? What does that mean-”

“Students of the Shino Academy! May I have all your attention, please?” All heads turned towards the stage in front of them and all voices immediately silenced. Teachers and other academy staff members beamed brightly back at them. They could tell this year was going to be more interesting judging from all the different and unique reiatsu in the room. They proceeded to welcome the fresh batch of first years and congratulate them on being accepted. Then reminded everyone about the rules:

-No staying out of the dorms after 9 pm

-No fighting amongst each other

-Always do your laundry on the weekends-- what the hell, is this home or something? Ichigo already has Kukaku nagging him about laundry, now the school is doing it too??

-Be on task during class time

-Treat others you want to be treated…. Blah blah BLAH.

Ichigo zoned out the rest of the things being said to him, in favor of thinking about what Kaien must’ve felt his first year at the academy. His older brother, the night before, had told him that he was extremely shy too and was scared when anyone other than a teacher conversed with him. Now to Ichigo, that was hard to imagine. A scrawny, shy, nerdy, Kaien compared to the now bubbly and outgoing extroverted clan head the orange teen knows today? It’s practically impossible to believe that. 

“....-Remember to not stab your fellow classmates or you’re going to end up like Mr. Anaki here! That’s all I have to say! and I hope you all have a wonderful year!” The entire auditorium abruptly applauded and Ichigo was forced away from his thoughts to clap too. Shit, what did they just say to him? Something about stabbing classmates?

“ _You have an attention span of a child._ ” Voice-in-head all of a sudden said, causing the scowl on Ichigo’s face to deepen. He does not! 

...Ok maybe he does.

“Head to your dorms and get settled in! Say hi to your roommates and make sure to check your schedule! After that, you have the rest of the day off!” The principal said cheerfully. 

Ichigo searches his pockets and pulls out a crumpled ball of paper. He opens it up to look over his dorm number and schedule. Let’s see…

Kido (oh god, his second-worst fear.) is the first thing he has in the morning. 

Then Zanjutsu and self-defense.

Hoho II.

An hour break afterward.

And then-

“Huh? What’s with that obnoxious hair color? Trying to make a statement or somethin?” Someone suddenly said. Ichigo had to push down his instinct to yell back at whoever it was that his hair was natural and that they should mind their own damn business. However, he doesn’t want to make a scene on the first day at the academy so the orange-hair teen kept his eyes trained on the crumpled piece of paper in his hands.

They didn’t say anything after that, so Ichigo assumed they were talking to someone else, but then a tall male stepped into his view and snatched his schedule away from him, “I was talking to you! Don’t ignore me!”

Ichigo lifted his gaze and glared up at the man. He was slightly taken aback by the blazing cyan-colored hair and piercing diamond eyes. Holy shit, this guy has a shit load of piercings on his ear.

“The fuck is with your hair? Why is it so fucking bright?” The male student moved out of the way when Ichigo tried to snatch his schedule back. 

The orange-hair teen couldn’t stop himself from snarking back, “I could say the same thing for you, blue boy. Are you a delinquent or something?”

Those cat-like diamond eyes narrow down at him. Both students are now glowering at each other in a challenging way. Ichigo, once again, makes a feeble attempt to snatch back his schedule but Blue was faster than him and, not to mention, taller by 3 inches. He just had to dodge out of the way and raise the schedule higher than Ichigo can reach.

Other students have stopped to watch the two. Ichigo lets out an annoyed growl, “if you don’t give me back my schedule right now, I’ll-”

“You’ll do what? With your short ass midget legs?”

Ichigo paused. Is this asshat worth the suspension? ...Fuck it. The orange-hair teen kicked Blue straight in the baby maker causing the taller male to collapse in a fetal position, holding his assaulted area protectively. 

“Mother fucker!” Blue hisses loudly.

Ichigo grabs his schedule back and stuffs the sheet back into his pocket just in time to be elbowed in the gut. The Shiba stumbled backward and glared at Blue who swayed back onto his feet, clearly trying to play off that he didn’t just get kicked in the nuts. Both students had a standoff before launching at each other like feral cats.

They roll around on one another, exchanging bites (shit, Blue had some sharp teeth!), punches, and kicks until the teachers finally stepped in and pried them both away. Even then, they continue to scream profanities at each other, not caring that there are people watching.

The two were finally stopped when one of the staff members suddenly cast a sleeping Kido on them. The last thing Ichigo sees is Blue flipping him off before blacking out.

______

“It’s only the first day of the Academy and I already have two knuckleheads causing a ruckus! Unbelievable!” The nurse, Mrs. Reiki, threw an ice pack at Ichigo’s face for the trouble. The teen scowled but lifted it up to his broken nose and almost chuckled when Blue was unable to dodge the ice pack sent his way. 

“What do you two have to say for yourselves??” Mrs. Reiki crossed her arms.

The two students glowered at each other, looking rather ready for another round of brawl even with all the scratches and bruises. “He started it!” They both said in unison and practically bristled at each other’s statements.

“I started it?!” Ichigo and Blue screeched at the same time, “No it was you! Stop copying me! … I’m not copying you! STOP THAT!”

Both of them let out a loud annoyed groan and looked separate ways. Mrs. Reiki could only sigh at the fact that these two idiots practically shared one brain cell. She massaged her temples and started towards the door. “I need to go get some tea. Don’t leave this room unless you want to be skinned alive.” She sent them a dark look before walking out.

Blue just rolled his eyes, unaffected by the threat, and got out of the infirmary bed. Ichigo frowned, “the fuck are you doing? Didn’t you hear what she just said?”

“Does it look like I give a fuck? I wanna go take a nap in my dorm.” Blue stuffed one of his hands in his pockets, the other was clasped against the ice pack on his bruised eye. He walked straight to the door with a hunched posture. The man suddenly pauses at the entrance to turn to the other male, “oh, and don’t get in my way, or I’ll make sure you regret stepping foot into the academy today.”

“Pfft, I’d like to see you try,” Ichigo challenged and stuck his tongue at Blue when the male turned back around to walk out the room. 

The Shiba paused to listen as the other student’s footsteps slowly faded. When he hears only his own breathing, Ichigo lets out a long tired sigh and sat back against the wall. So much for having a normal first day. Kukaku was totally going to murder him. 

“ _It could have been worse._ ” Voice-in-head finally spoke up, trying to be comforting. “ _You tried your best to avoid conflict. That’s what truly counts._ ”

Ichigo frowned, “Yeah, but people talk… and they’ll all label me a delinquent.”

An invisible force ruffled his orange locks, “ _Young prince, you shouldn’t worry so much. As a Shiba, I didn’t think you would act… or at least try to act so… not brash, out in public._ ”

“Well yeah, what if I’m the one who gives the Shiba clan a bad name. If I fuck up, Kaien or Kukaku might...”

“ _Might what?_ ”

“..I just don’t want to fail them and cause trouble for the clan,” Ichigo mumbled quietly. He slowly places the ice pack onto his lap. “How can I learn to be a protector if I get myself kicked out of the academy for starting fights?”

“...” Voice-in-head was quiet for a moment before a warm comforting pressure wrapped around the orange teen. “ _Young Prince, you and your family are the Shiba’s. You guys speak your thoughts and are supposed to be straight forward. In Kukaku-san’s words, ‘Shiba’s don’t take anyone’s bullshit, not even if they were the Soul King himself.’ If people judge you, you don’t need to listen to their opinion. It won’t change who you truly are.”_

Ichigo sat there and stared at the ice pack in his lap with mild surprise. After several moments of digesting the other’s words, a chuckle slipped through his lips. He smiled, “Wow, Voice-in-head… I didn’t know you could be so philosophical and encouraging.” 

“ _Any time, young prince._ ”

“But you wanna know what would make me feel even better?”

“ _Hm…?_ ”

A cocky smirk spread on Ichigo’s face, “telling me your name-”

“ _No_ ,” Voice-in-head said without a beat.

“Aw c’mon!” The Shiba whined.

“ _Young Prince, I will feed you nightmares if you continue to ask._ ”

“...” Ichigo's eyes widened in realization, “you can do that?!”

“...” Voice-in-head refused to say anything after that to the boy’s disappointment. 


	2. Chapter 2

The Shiba clan was always praised for their ability to cast Kido. It was like second nature. Kaien was able to cast lieutenant-level Kido his first year in the Academy, but then again, he was a prodigy. Ichigo, on the other hand, can’t even remember the chant to cast the kido. His Shiba ancestors are probably looking down upon him with immense shame and the orange-hair student could sense it.

At Least Grimmjow, he had finally remembered his name properly, isn’t here to watch his embarrassing fail. The blue-haired male would take great pleasure shattering his already non-existent ego if he saw how bad he was at Kido.

Ever since the first-day  _ incident,  _ every time the two first years ever crossed paths there would be some kind of fight that breaks out. Whether it would just involve only fists or screaming at the top of their throats in each other’s faces, a staff member always had to be involved to stop it. The teachers now have to stop the catfight before it ever happens by eyeing them like hawks. 

It wasn’t exactly Ichigo’s fault that Grimmjow was a dick to practically everyone he ever crossed paths with. It just happens to be Ichigo he is pissed off with the most and the orange-hair first year doesn’t even know why. Whatever the reason is that they don’t click well, it’s a Soul King’s blessing that the teachers made sure most of their classes were separated. Otherwise, both of them would be lying in a pool of their own blood with notes attached to one another that said:

_ “He started it.” _

_ “No, he did!” _

“Shiba! Pay attention!” A voice ripped Ichigo from his reverie. “Stop daydreaming and cast the Bakudo already!”

“H-hai, Sensei!” The orange-hair looked back at the testing dummy across the room.

_ What was he doing again?  _ Right, he had an entire class watching him and he’s been standing there doing nothing.  _ Now, what was the chant again?  _

Voice-in-head took pity on his poor soul and whispered the chant to him. Ichigo brightened up with determination and held up his hand to cast the spell, “ _ Bakudo #1, Sai! _ ” 

For a moment, nothing happened. Just complete silence. 

_ Huh? Had he said the chant wrong..? _

The whole room exploded with a bright light and there were screams of bloody murder. Luckily, the Teacher had cast barriers to protect most of the students from being burned by the explosion. When everything finally settled down, Ichigo was standing at the center of the room with charcoaled hair, skin, and clothes. He coughed out a puff of smoke.  _ Welp… That went worse than he expected. Oh, and to lecture his ass, here comes Mr. To-- What’s his name again? His teacher isn’t wearing a name tag. He looks like a toad. _

“Shiba! Principal’s office, now!” Mr. Toad-face demanded.

Ichigo scowls. Not even going to check if he’s ok? Well, then again, nothing a good healing-kido from the nurse can’t fix. She will definitely not be happy to see Ichigo again the third time this week, just after he got out of the infirmary for fighting Grimmjow in the cafeteria. 

The orange-teen quickly exited the classroom, not liking the eyes of his classmates following him.  _ Kami, that was so embarrassing.  _ First, he’s labeled a delinquent, now people will say how much he disgrace the Shiba.

______

When Ichigo stepped into the Principal’s office, he was immediately surprised to see two familiar faces. They were sitting in front of the Principal in their standard Captain’s uniform and turned to look at him when they heard the door open. 

“Mah, Ichi-chan! What a coincidence! What are you doing here and what’s with the… charcoaled look?” Kisuke grinned happily. 

Ichigo blinked.  _ What were they doing here at the academy? _

“Uh… Kido incident.” He finally explained and couldn’t resist the urge to cough out another puff of smoke. 

Yoruichi shot up from her seat and tackled him into a hug. “Is that the explosion I felt 10 minutes ago? Aww, our little Ichi-bo is only a couple of weeks into his first year in the academy and he’s already causing trouble!” She nuzzled her cheek against his. 

Ichigo wheezes about not being able to breathe until Kisuke finally took mercy on him and pulled the Captain of the 2nd off of him. But the boy’s freedom was only short-lived when the Captain of the 12th began to examine his mouth, eyes, and skin.

“Indeed! You’re sturdier than the last time we visited the Shiba compound! Have you been exercising and drinking enough water lately? What about fruits and vegetables?” The mad scientist asks as shines a small flashlight in the teen’s eye to examine his pupils.

Someone clears their throat and all heads turn to the Principal who is watching the scene with mild amusement. He leans back in his chair, “Captain Shihouin and Captain Urahara, I’m aware of your connections with the Shibas, but please refrain from doing that on school property.”

Both captains traded disappointed looks before finally backing away from the boy. The Principal adjusts his glasses on his nose, “now, Shiba Ichigo, I’m going to assume the reason why you’re here is that it had to do with your  _ little  _ Kido incident.”

Ichigo could feel his cheek redden and reluctantly admitted a quiet, “...yeah.”

“I see.” The principal lets out a relieved sigh, “I thought it would be about another fight but I’m happy to know there is more to your character.”

The orangette spluttered. All the other adults in the room gave Ichigo a curious look.

“You’re getting into fights?” Yoruichi asked and the teen could sense a bit of concern hidden under her words.

He waved it off, “it’s nothing. People pick fights with me, not the other way around.” He paused once again to think when he heard Voice-in-head scoff. “Most of the time.” 

Ichigo shot a glare at the two captains snickering at him. The orangette turned to the principle, “The Kido instructor sent me here because of the… Kido incident. Do I have to fill out a form or something? Like a referral.”

“Well, that depends.” The principal cocked his head to the side, “did you kill someone?”

“Wh-what?!” Ichigo’s eyes widened, “No! I just blew up the stupid dummies on accident. No classmates were harmed in the process.” There was a silent  _ thank kami  _ at the end of that sentence.

“Then I don’t see why you need to write down a referral. Mr. Todanoma, the Kido instructor, can be very dramatic sometimes.” The principal chuckled, “You may be on your way. If you’re injured, make sure to visit Mrs. Reiki to see to it.”

“Oh. Really?” Ichigo blinked, “that easy?”

“That easy.” The other male confirmed before adding, “however, do make sure to be careful in the future with Kido. I have never encountered a Shiba who couldn’t perform Kido before, but tutoring is still open to all.”

The orangette blushed when the adult struck a nerve.  _ He had called it! He was a disgrace to the Shiba name! _

He bowed himself out and exited the room into the hallway. Halfway down the corridor, a voice behind him caught his attention.

“Ichi-chan~!” Kisuke sang the boy’s nickname.

Ichigo scowled at him, “What do you want, Urahara? Why isn’t Yoruichi with you?” 

“So mean!” The Captain pouted, “Yoruichi is going to stay behind to talk to the principal about some family things. Nothing to worry about. It only means I get to steal you for myself!”

The orangette eyes narrowed with suspicion.  _ 'What is he up to now?' _

“What? I have class, though.” He tried to come up with an excuse.

“Bah! I’m a Captain! I’m going to enjoy abusing my power while I’m still at it. I can just sign you out and no more class for the rest of the day!” Kisuke said cheerfully. “Come come~! I wanna show you something!”

Before Ichigo could say anything to protest against going with him, the other male was already dragging them off at a high-speed shunpo. He prayed to the Soul King that he wouldn’t get involved with any experiments the mad scientist had probably planned for him.

______

Ichigo stared warily at the towering white walls that surround the research and development center. He’s never been here before, other than the captain of the 12th’s office whenever Kaien dragged him along. Kisuke prances up to the enormous door and knocks on it. They promptly part in half to let them both through before shutting quickly, leaving them in momentary darkness. The hallway light’s sensors activate as they walk down the large spacious hallway. Their footsteps echoed throughout the corridor.

Ichigo felt very anxious about the fact they haven’t seen a single person since they’ve been walking. “Uh, where is everyone?”  
“Hm?” Kisuke didn’t turn to answer, “Well they’re all in their own labs conducting their own experiments. My lieutenant will be back from her errands at the 5th shortly. My third seat, however…” He paused. “He’s somewhere.”

“Oh, I heard from Kaien you got yourself a creepy third seat that used to be a very dangerous prisoner from the maggots nest.” There was literally a criminal running around Kisuke’s division doing god knows what. “How’s that going for you?”

This time the other male did turn to answer him. The sandy-blonde gave him a smile with a sadistic aura behind it, “He’s fun to mess with.”

Ah, classic Urahara and his creepy ass antics. Ichigo definitely is crossing the 12th Division off his list of squads to join after graduation.

The two abruptly stop in front of a door with a keypad that had many strange symbols on it. To pass the time, Ichigo tried to memorize the code the Captain put in but his hand was moving too fast to be comprehended by the orangette eyes. A small square panel opened up to reveal a round lense that scanned Kisuke’s eyeball before letting the two inside the lab.

“That’s… a lot of security you have there. Are you doing something illegal here?” Ichigo couldn’t help but ask. The Captain sends him an amused look, “I may come off as a creepy pervert that likes to experiment on everyone he sees, but I don’t dabble in crimes, Ichi-chan.”

Ichigo swore he heard him say  _ “most of the time”  _ but couldn’t prove it. As they traveled deeper into the lab, Ichigo examined all the lab tools and tubes around him. There was an eyeball in a jar following their movements but Urahara waved it off, saying it’s harmless. That sentence was proven the opposite when the eye suddenly split in half to reveal sharp teeth that could take off Ichigo’s entire hand if he’d ever opened the jar.

The sight actually spooked the orangette so much that he jumped back cousin him to bump into a nearby shelf causing a giant vase to fall over and smash over his head. A loud crash echoed throughout the room. Ichigo collapsed to the ground, sporting a small bump. 

“Ow, that fucking hurt!” He hissed and rubbed the assaulted area to try and rid himself of the pain.

“Hurry up~” Kisuke sang with an amused tone. After noticing he was falling behind, Ichigo quickly caught up to him, mentally relieved that the other isn’t mad at him for breaking something in his lab. They walked into another room which was way darker and spacious than the other.

“Why did you even bring me here?” Ichigo finally asked.

Kisuke used his foot to press a hidden panel on the floor and suddenly a glass box rose from the ground. Ichigo blinks at the glowing marble floating ominously at the center of the box. The captain walks into the glass box and grabs the glowing marble to show the orangette who is staring at it warily. 

Every hair at the back of Ichigo’s neck is standing up just by looking at the object. He swore he could hear sinister whispers coming from it. Kisuke just smirks before finally answering, “ _ this _ is what I wanted to show you.”

“What exactly is that?” Ichigo took a step back, not feeling comfortable that it felt like it was beckoning him to come over and snatch it from the other’s hand. The orangette was so distracted by the marble, he didn’t notice the Captain’s eyes studying his reaction.

“It’s called the Hogyoku. I’m still working on completing it but so far this is one of the most groundbreaking things I’ve ever created. I’m trying to shape its ability to be able to control hollows or even purify them without the need for a shinigami’s zanpakuto.” Kisuke explained. “Even incomplete, it’s very powerful.”

“Why… are you showing me this?” Ichigo questioned, eyeing the marble suspiciously. 

The captain stared at him for a long time and the younger couldn’t decide if he was searching for something or examining him like he’s his next experiment. Ichigo furrowed his brows and was about to say something else but was suddenly cut off when Urahara appeared in front of him with a quick shunpo. The next thing he knew, the hand that was holding the Hogyoku was shoved forcefully through his chest.

He coughs out a bit of blood in the process.

Pain spread throughout his body. 

The last thing Ichigo sees is Kisuke’s sorrowful gaze that was filled with complete remorse looking right back at him.

“I’m sorry, Ichigo, but this is the only way.”

Then complete darkness consumed the orangette’s vision.

______

Ichigo gasped awake and found himself lying on the ground. He looks around frantically at his surroundings. Kisuke hovers over him with a concerned look. They were both in the lab.

“Ichigo? Are you alright?” The captain asked, his brows were knitted together.

Ichigo quickly pushed himself away from the other man, meanwhile screaming profanities at him, “You fucking bastard! Don’t come near me! Don’t even think about it! If you do, I’ll fucking kick your ass six ways to Sunday!” 

“Ichigo! What are you talking about? Are you alright??”

“What do you mean  _ ‘are you alright?’  _ Of course, I’m not! You tried to kill me by shoving that stupid marble through my chest!” He exclaimed. His breathing was becoming erratic. 

“Ichigo, calm down. You’re hyperventilating!” When he noticed that Ichigo was watching his every move closely with wary eyes, Kisuke slowly crouched down to the boy’s level to show he meant no harm. “What do you mean I shoved a marble through your chest?”

“You fucking did! Look-” Ichigo looked down at the area only to shockingly find that there was no hole or blood. It was like the attack never happened. He even opened the top of his Academy uniform to double-check. There was no wound or indication that Kisuke shoved the Hogyoku inside him.

“Ichigo,” The captain softly got his attention by placing a hand on his head. “That vase was pretty thick. You were knocked out cold for a while. Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?” 

Ichigo looked around to see that there were shards of a vase scattered around him. The vase had been sitting on the shelf when he accidentally bumped into it. His eyes widened in confusion.  _ He had been knocked out…? So it was a dream all along? But… _

He finally looked up at the other male, his breathing finally began to slow. 

_ It felt so real.  _

“I… I-” 

“What is the matter? What happened?”

“I…” Ichigo bit his lip, “It’s nothing. Just a bad dream. I’m fine.”

Kisuke raised a brow but by the look, Ichigo was giving him, he didn’t press any

further. “Does your head hurt? You gave me quite a scare when you didn’t respond to my first attempts to wake you back up.”

“Oh,” Ichigo rubbed his head. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt that much. “I just feel a bit dizzy. Kukaku’s punches are way worse.”

Kisuke let out a relieved sigh seeing that boy was alright and helped him up onto his feet.

Ichigo examined the lab once more. He was shocked to see that there  _ was  _ no door to another room that contained the Hogyoku. Just this room that was filled with glowing tubes and creepy hollow test subjects. 

_ ‘Jeez, how hard did I hit my head to dream about something that bad?’ _

“I think it’s best if you return to your dormitory to lie down a bit,” Kisuke suggested.

“No, I’m fine. Really.” Ichigo insisted but with the look, Kisuke was giving him, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. However, he couldn’t help but be stubborn. It’s weird to see the man all serious instead of his jokester personality

“I don’t think I can handle another scare like that if it happens again. Kaien would have my head if he found out I accidentally gave you a concussion during a tour of my lab.” Kisuke winced at the last part. Ichigo didn’t blame him. His brother is sunshine and rainbows until one of the people he cares for deeply is hurt. Then he suddenly turns into a complete demon that is equally as scary as Kukaku. The man’s got one hell of a protective streak.

“I guess..” Ichigo reluctantly agreed to go back to his dorm after his brother was mentioned. “But didn’t you bring me here to show me something?”

“Hm?” Kisuke tilted his head, “just showing how cool the 12th division is and that you should consider joining-”

“Not gonna happen.” He immediately shot down the idea without a beat.

“Wha- Why not?” The other pouted.

“Because everyone in the 12th has a lot of screws loose, and I’d rather join the 11th than become a crackhead myself. Do you know how many creepy rumors go around the academy about the 12th? Only the weird kids with weird obsessions with dissecting things want to join.”

After being bombarded by the information, Kisuke sulked in the corner of the room for a while, mumbling about how mean students are these days. A depressed aura surrounded him. 

Ichigo rolled his eyes and brought his hand to rub the top of his head. The pain was gone. All he was left with was a bit of nausea. He felt very drained for some reason. Sleep sounded nice at the moment. The boy suddenly frowns.

“Hey, Urahara?”

“Hm?” Kisuke looks up at him.

“Do you know anything about Hogyoku?”

Kisuke blinked at him. He raised a brow, “what is that?”

“A…” Ichigo shook his head.  _ So it  _ **_was_ ** _ a dream after all.  _ “Nevermind. It’s nothing. I’m just tired. Can we head back to the academy?”

The Captain gave a long stare before finally nodding. Ichigo thought for a split second that those eyes were studying him, but waved it off as his imagination. Kisuke led them both out of the lab. The Shiba glanced back at the room before the door slowly shut behind them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fine, I'll make this into a series. (or at least try to keep updating it)

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if I should turn this into a series. We'll see.
> 
> Have a nice day, and don't eat crack. :)


End file.
